Hello Everyone. I’m writing this a bit later than usual as we’ve been out and about a fair bit this weekend.
Last weekend I had my eyes tested (it’s been 3 years since my last test!). Fortunately my eyes have only changed slightly and they’ve actually improved…. great news! This, however, meant new glasses. We went to go and pick them up yesterday morning and I love them. I went with a bit of a change from my usual style…. I’m being brave!
We’ve also been to go and order my Wife’s new bike. I’m very excited about being able to go for bike rides with her. Although with the weather like it has been today, we might have missed our window this year.
While we were in the bike store, I had a look at some bike shoes. I’ve been doing my bike up lately and fitted some new tyres last week. I also found that the front hubs were as dry as a bone, so I’ve packed them full of grease. Hopefully that will improve my performance a lot. Cycle shoes and proper clipless pedals are my next upgrade. I’ve got the shoes now, which will also do for my current flat pedals as an interim. I also got special insoles for them, as I have flat feet. I’ve been getting pains in my feet when I walk lately, and in my knees when I cycle. I’m still waiting for a professional opinion, but it could be that my flat feet are the cause. I got measured up in the shop, and these inner soles are amazing. My foot feels so comfy in them. I can’t wait to use them and I’m especially looking forward to being able to commute back into work on my bike.
Step by Step
Anyway, talking of health and fitness and all that jazz, last week I challenged myself to do 10,000 steps. For those who have been following me on twitter, either through my @babblingeng account, or the hashtag #babblingsteps, you will know that it was a real struggle to get 10,000 steps in whilst I was in the office or doing general paperwork. Here is my graph for the week:
I started off the week trying to carry on my normal routine. Sunday was spent catching up on computer work, so I was sat down for more than I would be if I was at work, as I showed the next day.
Monday and Tuesday were typical days in the office. I didn’t do anything differently really at all. Tuesday I got a bit of extra exercise in that I cycled to the gym, only to find out that my class was cancelled and then I cycled back. That didn’t count as extra steps though. Wednesday and Thursday I made more of an effort. I went for a walk at lunchtime both days and then Thursday night I was helping out with a local youth group, where I umpired a game of cricket. Not the most strenuous of exercises, but it got me moving about a bit. Still, on both days I failed to reach my target of 10,000 steps! It was very frustrating and very surprising.
I think on Friday I was a bit disheartened and I didn’t make much of an effort at all. I had an early start at work and an early finish and then I came home and started doing a few jobs and fixing my bike. While I was on my feet I wasn’t walking around much.
The breakthrough came on Saturday. We went into town to pick up new glasses, then drove out to Southport, after stopping into a bike store near there. We then spent the whole day walking around the shops.
This exercise has really made me think about how little exercise we get these days and shown me that I need to get out and do more. Whenever the weather permits I’m going to try and get out and walk at lunchtime. And hopefully I’ll be fit and able to start commuting into work again soon. If not, however, I want to build the habit of going out on my bike at least once a week and then build that up to twice a week. I’ve said that before though!
This Week’s Reading
More Productivity Myths, Debunked by Science (and Common Sense) – Alan Henry (Lifehacker)
I love it when science disproves commonly held beliefs. Entirely coincidentally, one of the myths that Alan deals with (more hours doesn’t actually equal more work), I touched on in my post on habits, also published on Wednesday. The key message that Alan tries to get across is that these stock productivity messages can usually be ripped apart with a little research and that productivity methods are dependent on the individual.
7 Reasons to Take Cold Showers and 1 That Really Matters – Mans Denton (The Hacked Mind)
The title of this really grabbed me, so I had to read it. At the moment I’m really interested in doing things to improve my health. I’m not sure I’m brave enough to shower in the cold though. But I have previously heard good things about cold showers. Maybe I will go part way and have warm showers!
The Difference Between Being “Not Wrong” and Being Right – James Clear (JamesClear.com)
I first heard James Clear on a podcast the other day and found what he had to say quite inspirational. This post doesn’t quite fit what I thought from the title, but the message inside I love. Essentially, James is inspiring us to not just settle for “safe”, but to go forward and strive for the best. We may fail along hte way, but we can learn from that. That’s the best way to live. I hate the negative connotations with the word fail. We would be stuck in the Dark Ages if people didn’t have the courage to fail in order to achieve something great.
So anyway, that’s it for this week. If you have any interesting articles to read, I’d love to hear from you.
